Supervisor Bill Horn has hired a new chief of staff after his right-hand man of four years decided to work for Supervisor-elect Kristin Gaspar, the latest reshuffling of elected county officials and senior employees after last month’s general election.

Horn said he hired Darren Gretler, the current assistant director of Planning and Development Services, as his new chief of staff.

Gretler will replace Dustin Steiner, Horn’s land use advisor before he became the chief of staff in 2012.

“My chief of staff needs to have some knowledge of land use,” Horn, whose north San Diego County district is largely unincorporated and consequently relies on the county to set land use and development policies.

Gretler previously worked as a policy adviser for Supervisor Dianne Jacob, and later in public works, and was the county’s recovery manager after the 2014 wildfires. He also is a member of the Del Mar Union School District board of trustees

Steiner is leaving Horn’s office to work for Gaspar, the incoming supervisor. Currently the mayor of Encinitas, she will be sworn into office to represent the District 3, an area that includes Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch, Tierra Santa, Solana Beach and other areas, in early January.

Steiner’s move to Gaspar’s office means that there will be an experienced and knowledgeable hand to help the new supervisor transition into her office. Also, because of term limits that will force all of the current board members out of office by 2020 or earlier, there will be someone who understands how the county operates around, Horn said.

“I think it’s good for the county, as far as I am concerned,” Horn said. “I only have two years left, I think at some point Kristin Gaspar is going to be the senior supervisor. This current rule of term limits, it’s hard to hit the ground running the day you get in here.”

Gaspar said she wanted a chief of staff who knows county government, will work well with her, and have a great relationship with her district. Gaspar will be the second new supervisor on the board in 24 years and the first to unseat an incumbent in 32.years.

With approximately 2,000 votes left to county across the county as of early Tuesday afternoon, Gaspar led incumbent Supervisor Dave Roberts with 50.27 percent of the electorate, a 1,255-vote margin.